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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Thomas Chippendale, Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron, Mike Tindall, Lizzie Armitstead, Julian Sands, William Jackson, 1st Baron Allerton, Alan Kernaghan, Nick Houghton, Julian Turner, Terry Carling, Peter Winterbottom, Roy Alon, Craig Adams, Samuel Flaxington, Alan Greaves, John Peter Whiteley. Excerpt:Alan Greaves (born July 1969, Otley , West Yorkshire ) is a British archaeologist, based at the University of Liverpool and working in Turkey . His research has largely focussed on the region of western Turkey known as Ionia in the Bronze and Iron Ages. Other research themes include Greek colonisation and teaching in Higher Education. In 2005 he was made a National Teaching Fellow by the UK Higher Education Academy. Publications A hyperlinked version of this chapter is at Alan Kernaghan Alan Kernaghan (born 25 April 1967) is an English -born Irish former footballer . Since retiring he has become a coach and manager. Since January 2007 he has been a youth coach at Rangers . Career Born in Otley , West Yorkshire , Kernaghan began his playing career as an apprentice at Middlesbrough , and went on to make 212 appearances during an eight-year period, scoring 16 goals. In September 1993, Kernaghan was signed for Manchester City by then-boss Brian Horton . He went on loan to various clubs Bolton Wanderers in 1994, Bradford City in 1996, and then to St. Johnstone in 1997. The Saints signed him on a permanent deal just before the end of the year, after he was given a free transfer from Manchester City. He enjoyed four years at McDiarmid Park , making 60 league appearances and scoring five goals. Kernaghan then joined Brechin City , but his spell there was short as he made only three competitive appearances for the Glebe Park club. He then moved to Clyde , where he started as a... ... Read more

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**BECAUSE BOOKS ARE LONG & LIFE IS SHORT! BRAND NEW! FACTORY-SEALED. Scholarly Writer Dr. Richard Kaye and distinguished actress Julian Sands, bring Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's "Frankenstein" to life. Part of A+ Audio's Classroom Reading Plays Series, this Study Guide includes a 71-minute audio cassette & companion study booklet. Audio Tape Contains: Intro To The World Of Mary Shelley, Detailed Narrative Guide To The Novel, Dramatic Readings, & Critical Analysis. Booklet Contains: Character List, Scene-By-Scene Synopsis, Glossary Of Terms, Sample Test And Review Questions, Study References For Books, Music, Film. Sure To Be A Treasured Collectible In Your Audio Library. ... Read more

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When Arnold Cartwright is recruited by a company working in commercial aircraft control, it soon becomes clear to him that his job is not as innocent as it seems, and that his true employer is the Iraqi government. A post-Cold War thriller by the author of "The Pandora Operation". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Pretty Hum-Drum Stuff
Although this was published under the "Mask Noir" imprint, it's more of a thriller set just prior to the Gulf War, than a mystery per se. The story is about an embittered British radar technician who is inexplicably fired from his job in England. He soon finds himselfunwittingly (at first) in the employ of Iraq in modifying a radar system sothat it can detect stealth aircraft, and thus protect the Republican Guard.There are all kinds of standard thriller complications: a Palestinian"honey-pot," a CIA "watcher," an likable elderlyfather, etc. The book skips around a bit, sometimes in first-person by oneof Saddam's attendants, sometimes in first-person by the CIA watcher,sometimes in a Pentagon meeting, but it mostly follows the radar tech. Theattempts to portray the Americans are fairly clumsy, and the Palestiniangirl's motivations seem to be awfully flexible. Pretty hum-drum stuff, allin all. ... Read more

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A delightful read!
Even if my uncle Paul Marchand wasn't mentioned numerously throughout the book, I would of enjoyed it all the same.A wonderful personal history of a couple who lived out their dream to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and move Out West to Arizona.It was there that they met up with my Uncle Paul, and helping each other carved out a mutually rewarding life in the foothills of the Superstitions. ... Read more

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AAA San Diego Region, California, Usa: Blythe, Carlsbad, El Centro, Escondido, Indio, Julian, La Jolla, Oceanside, San Diego, San Ysidro, Yuma, Anza-borrego Desert State Park, Colorado River, Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area, Legoland California, Salton Sea, Balboa Park, Sea World: Major Roads, Highways, Mileage, Points of Interest, Airports, Lakes, OHV Areas, Campgrounds, Golf Courses, Parks: California Regional Series 2008 by AAA, ACSC, Erin Caslavka, Automobile Club of Southern California, Automobile Association of America, Kathi Reeves, Alicia Enderle, Kristine Miller, Travel Information Products, Paul Polacek, Virginia Matijevac, Todd Masinter. Folded Map. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (36)

An enjoyable start to the series
I've been a devoted fan of Napoleonic-era sea stories since discovering my father's Horatio Hornblower collection in junior high. Since then I've read all of Forrester, all of O'Brian, all of Lambdin, and several other authors, plus everything I can get hold of by associated historians like Brian Lavery. But this first novel in the series by a retired Royal Navy enlistee and officer differs in one important respect from its predecessors: The protagonist, Thomas Paine Kydd, is a pressed man, a wigmaker from a country town who gets scooped up in 1793 in the frenzy following the beginning of the war with Revolutionary France. He certainly doesn't want to be shanghaied (let's face it -- enslaved) and put under the Articles of War, but he's enough of a pragmatist to try to make the best of things on the ship of the line where he finds himself. And then he discovers a natural talent for seamanship and a knack for the sailor's life generally, so maybe things are looking up. This first volume, not unnaturally, follows him from his first stumbling experiences as a landman whose only ability is to tail on to a line without getting his feet tangled in it, to his first time aloft. Fortunately for Kydd, he acquires a couple of friends who look after him in the early stages -- and without them to give him his first boost up, there really wouldn't be much of a story, actually. The experience of his first sea battle, his battleship against a squadron of French ships trying to duck up the coast and slip into Brest, leaves him in a bit of a horrified daze, but he deals with it all manfully. Because it's already clear that young Tom is destined to become of those rare individuals -- only 120 during twenty-two years of warfare at sea -- who, through exceptional merit, crossed over from fo'c'sle to quarterdeck. The dialect and slang are manageable, as is the thick jargon of the sea service -- if you've read books like this before, at any rate. Because the author isn't about to stop the narrative to explain things to you. You'll have to pick it up as you go along, just as Kydd does. Though I have to say, he does seem precocious in the rate at which he acquires his new skills. It's a good read, though, and it stands up well beside its prestigious predecessors. I'll be hunting up the rest of the series to date.

not another pretender...
Characters - not credible, not fully defined
Plot - heavy reliance on coincidence and improbable outcomes
I read 3.5 books in this series with increasing distaste and boredom.I didn't finish the fourth.
Save your money and re-read your O'Brian, Parkinson, Woodman, and yes, even your Forrester.

Excellent Start to a Series
Great read.I found it to be closer to the style and substance of Bernard Cornwall's Sharpe series (a favorite of mine) than Patrick O'Brian or C.S. Forrester.Kydd follows the career of a pressed seaman into the Royal Navy of the Napoleonic War-era.I really enjoyed Stockwin's detail in describing the life of the sailors of the era.If you are a fan of any of the above authors, I suggest picking up Kydd.The characters and action are memorable and I sincerely look forward to the development of this intriguing character.

Mystifying at 1st. Then Whoa!
I don't know where we found this. Might have been an English-language section in a French airport newsstand. Thank goodness: LOVED IT! At first the unrelenting usage of ancient nautical terms perplexed me. Then I realized: this is exactly how the protagonist -- dumbfounded, press-ganged wigmaker Kydd, experiences his first weeks in the British Navy. I fell in love. There's plenty of adventure, following the historical Kydd we're assured. Like millions, I'm hoping for my new Patrick O'Brian. I think he's here!!!

Excellant begin to this series
I enjoyed this first book of this series and look forward to reading the rest. The depth of the development of the characters and the situations in which their development was created made this book enticing. The nautical terminology at the beginning of the book made the first couple of chapters a bit difficult but not so much as to negatively impact the enjoyment of the read. ... Read more

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Julian Simon was depressed for 13 long years, living each sad day under a black cloud of sadness and pain. Except for occasional brief episodes, he was continuously conscious of being miserable, constantly preoccupied with his own worthlessness, and held back from suicide only by feelings of duty towards his family. A dedicated scholar, quick-witted, erudite and curious, Simon consulted psychiatrists and psychologists of several schools, and read widely and critically in the psychological literature, desperate to find some therapy that would banish his depression. Eventually he began to find help in the writings of cognitive therapists like Aaron Beck, Albert Ellis, and Martin Seligman, authors who argue that emotional problems often arise from specific habits of thought which can be changed. Applying his newly-gained insights, Simon cured his own depression within weeks, and has remained depression-free for the past 18 years. From his own experience and analysis, he has made innovative contributions to the cognitive approach, resulting in his own distinctive technique, which he calls Self-Comparisons Analysis.Simon argues that depression ultimately results from negative self-comparisons, comparisons we all make continually between the state we think we are in and a hypothetical benchmark state - the state we believe we ought to be in. Sadness and depression arise from too great a contrast between the perceived actual state and the benchmark state. Self-Comparisons Analysis yields many fruitful techniques which can be employed to improve the perceived actual state and reduce the demands of the benchmark state. These techniques should interest depression sufferers, their loved ones, therapists, and psychologists. Simon has also developed an interactive computerised program for combatting depression which provides psychotherapy in the form of instruction/dialogue in everyday language. The disk is available free of charge to purchasers of "Good Mood". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Mind-Boggling Cure
I was skeptical.Author Simon somehow cured his chronic depression with a new mode of thinking?How can that be possible?I read the raves about this book and figured, what the hell, worth a try.I have suffered depression for nearly 50 years, although never the suicidal, dysfunctional, weepy kind that leads to withdrawal from life or suicide.Julian Simon examines the type of thinking the depressed do, and the kind of messages they repeat to themselves.Yes, I, too repeated such messages myself, again and again silently.He explains what to do instead - and I'll be damned - it worked.It is not "jolly thinking," nor a mantra.It is a different way of messaging yourself, not necessarily positively, but not in the way depressed people think or talk to themselves.And it works, and quickly.I still have the tendency to sink toward depression, but I can now immediately intercept and disrupt a depressed mood before it develops.For me and many others, this book is indeed a miracle.

Anti-whining strategy for fighting depression
For some reason, perhaps because many intellectuals suffer from and write about it, depression has become a trendy psychological affliction among people who by objective criteria have little to complain about.

Julian L. Simon suffered from depression for many years, yet he was able to defeat it through an eclectic approach incorporating ideas from his Jewish cultural background, cognitive therapy, existential therapy, Eastern philosophy and other sources.It's refreshing to find someone who emphasizes that depression derives from an unhealthy form of self-absorption that needs to be disputed vigorously.Stop making comparisons between your actual life and some hypothetical "ideal" life; recognize that you have an obligation to provide an emotionally healthy environment for the people you love; cultivate the values that conflict with your depression.In general, take action against your depression instead of selfishly wallowing in it.

Although Simon mentions his economics research only in passing in _Good Mood_, I also recommend reading his books about the positive trends in the environment, population and general material well-being to provide some cognitive support for a better attitude towards the human prospect.

Comprehensive
The premise of Simon's theory is that depression is due to our tendency to compare ourselves to others, how we used to be, what we hope to be, etc.It sounds simplistic, but the book is actually very comprehensive.Ratherthan making generalizations about all depressed people, he details manydifferent methods and combinations of methods so that you can choose theones that will work for you.

chapter 12
lofas

Excellent book.
The book Good Mood represents an excellent scholarly but readable description of a successful therapy that helped Julian Simon in his struggle to relieve his own depression of 13 years.

The Amazondescription omits mention of the book's accompanying software, the programOvercoming Depression, developed by MAIW.This program is based onadvances in cognitive science and artificial intelligence. ... Read more

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A master of the american short story

Included in this rich collection are: The Piazza, Bartleby the Scrivener, Benito Cereno, The Lightning-Rod Man, The Encantadas, The Bell-Tower, and The Town-Ho's Story. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (43)

Mankind Adrift in an Amoral Universe
Reading, be the target novels, short stories, poems, or road maps, demands an investment from readers of a certain number of hours from their life spans.Perhaps I am too demanding, but I feel that, if I am to trade a portion of my life for the message left for me by an author, the message should be meaningful, and I should lay down the completed book feeling that I have gained something positive from having read it:a new insight, a new word added to my recognition vocabulary, or a new vicarious experience.I also detest having my attention diverted from the author's message by having to stumble around malapropisms, misspellings, or nonstandard punctuation.This collection of short stories (and I have no objection if one wishes to characterize "Billy Budd" as a novella)does not disappoint.From these eight stories I have gleaned new vocabulary and new vicarious experiences, and in none of them is the writing any less than superb.

This is not to claim that the writing is always easily read.The acceptable and educated writing style of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was far more periphrastic than is today's streamlined and, at times, abbreviated and almost staccato style.Simple sentences were not preferred over compound-complex sentences.Writers were not hesitant to select words that best fit their purpose, the number of syllables and the antiquity of a word notwithstanding.We tend to see such writing today as "dense, impenetrable and boring," but just think of the opportunity to expand one's vocabulary and to practice concentrating on the meaning being conveyed by those wonderfully detailed sentences! Communicating through the written word requires a joint effort on the part of both the author and the reader, and only those readers who are willing to put forth the effort are likely to truly enjoy Melville's stories.

I find it strange that most of the reviews posted here deal only with "Billy Budd" for the other seven stories are magnificent and deserve attention.Each one makes its own comment on the nature of mankind and of humanity's relationship with the universe.None is a "happy" story, for Melville did not see mankind's place in the cosmos as a happy one."The Piazza" shows us how much our dreams and imaginations exceed reality and how mundane, unfulfilling and prosaic reality is compared with the gilded sheen with which we adorn our imagined perceptions of things unknown, being certain that they are better than our own reality.

"Bartleby" is, for me, the most demanding story to grasp, and it still defies my feeble attempts at explication.Bartleby certainly prefers (to use his own term) not to comply with the expectations and requirements of the society around him, and in fact he is quite successful in not conforming to the social norms--but at a terrible price.Is Melville commenting on the fact that individuals are never truly free to pursue their own preferences?I believe so, but I also believe that this too simplistic; there is more to be found in this story.

"Benito Cerino" is a surreal account of the captain of a slave ship who becomes the slave when the slaves become the masters.Eventually rescued, the captain remains a broken man, freed of his bondage only to face an early grave.The fascination of this story lies in the masterful way Melville reveals the true nature of things to us through the perceptions of Captain Amasa Delano, who boards the Spanish slaver with helpful intentions and a large measure of innocent naivete.The story slowly unfolds through his eyes and ears as, very slowly, his suspicions increase that all is not right aboard Don Benito's ship.This is by far one of the most suspenseful stories in print in the English language.

"The Lightning Rod Man" shows us how successful charlatans can be when they prey on the fears of their victims, unethical behavior made even worse by the fact that the charlatans create those fears themselves.Perhaps there is also an implied comment here on the gullibility of those who become such prey, for the successful man in this story is the charlatan himself.

For vivid description of a desolate and hostile environment, it would be difficult to trump the series of vignettes grouped under the title "The Encantadas."If there is an enchantment to these barren volcanic islands, it is surely an evil one in Melville's view.His introducing each vignette with an epigraph, largely from Spencer's Faerie Queene, effectively sets the tone and mood for what follows, and the tone is always somber.

"The Bell-Tower" is rather intriguing in that it could have emerged from a contemporary science fiction story, a genre quite unknown in Melville's day.It is a pithy commentary on man's increasing reliance on his own inventions and creations rather than nature's (or God's if one prefers).The message is, as we should now come to expect, that man suffers from such misplaced reliance.

"The Town-Ho's Story" is reminiscent of "Billy Budd" and the reader feels that one has strongly influenced the other, although the outcomes are surprisingly different.I'm a little surprised that none of the reviews that I've found here have drawn a parallel between Billy Budd (the handsome sailor) and Jesus Christ or between John Claggart and Judas Iscariot or between Captain Vere and Pontius Pilot.Now before another reader takes me to task, please note that I am not claiming that Melville intentionally made any such parallels, yet I believe that Melville's symbolic characters can be seen in a somewhat similar light as those of the Christian allegorists.

All of these stories reveal the amoral nature of the universe, an amorality that mankind sees as dark and painful because it does not cater to his desires.Melville's skills at drawing verbal pictures for his readers are masterful but, like an artist executing a complicated painting, he is not always quick and easy to interpret.If the reader will approach these stories slowly and thoughtfully--and with a dictionary at hand--thenhe or she will be rewarded with a memorable experience.

The Fall of Billy Budd
Set in the 1790s during the Napoleonic Wars, Herman Melville's short story, Billy Budd, Sailor, is an exposé of the classic debate over the nature of man.Melville's story is filled with long and often pointless sentences, and the story lacks a clear sense of organization. Despite the difficulty of the read, Billy Budd is still a worthwhile piece of fiction due to Melville's marvelous ability to present the themes of the subjectivity of justice and the fragility of innocence.

Billy Budd is a young, handsome, naïve sailor aboard the English ship the HMS "Bellipotent".He has been forced into service but works hard and follows orders anyways. One day, he is accused by the ship's master-at-arms, John Claggart, of attempted mutiny. Claggart lies to the captain out of his own envy of the young sailor even though the penalty for mutiny is death by hanging. The situation is especially serious due to several recent mutinies aboard other ships in the navy.Captain Vere is then presented with a difficult situation. Billy Budd had always been a hard worker and favorite of those on board the ship, but naval laws were inflexible. The main focus of the book revolves around Vere's choice of conscience or the letter of the law.

The story is short, but it is by no means a quick read. Billy Budd was published after Herman Melville had died. Sadly, the book was unfinished. Although the themes are present, the structure of the book is in total disarray. The dialogue is fragmented in places, and there appears to be lack of true development for any of the characters. However, Billy Budd's situation still allows Melville to expound his themes. Billy represents innocence and Claggart represents evil. Melville pits these age old opponents against each other in a decidedly new way which makes this book a good read for any mature reader. Like the Biblical story of The Fall, Billy Budd has his innocence corrupted by a man who hates Billy for his favored status aboard the ship. Naval Law would see Billy hanged, but Captain Vere has a hard time consenting to this. Vere, along with the reader begin to question the true nature of justice. Who says what is right and what is wrong, and how are we to really know? Billy's tragedy will ultimately leave any reader with more questions than answers.

I had to read this book twice, but after the second time, I was able to fully appreciate Melville's brilliance. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys classical literature. However, I would not recommend this book for anyone who just wants an entertaining story. Try something in the James Clavell or Ken Follett catalogue if entertainment is what you seek.

Bill Budd : Ishmael's Idiot Cousin
I went into Billy Budd expecting fully unique characters, dynamic adventure scenes, amusing-to-analyze homoeroticism, and original themes. What I got was a flat, uninspired narrative that would have been furiously marked in red by any high school English teacher for its excessive description and dull prose. Melville, what the heck!?? I go from a breathtaking adventure novel to this yawn-inspiring allegorical novella?

When Moby Dick indulges in diversions, it's like humoring a genius uncle who interrupts a riveting tale of his past for an educational discourse on different types of whales. When Billy Budd breaks up its narratives it's like suffering through a boring lecture from a professor who assumes his idiotic students haven't done the assigned reading.

Talk about a disappointment! I suspect that many people who claim to like Billy Budd do so because it's short and easy to analyze, and you can say things like "Oh, Moby Dick is next on my list. I loved Billy Budd." Did you really? I'll admit that the issues are compelling- innocence corrupted by evil, religion's role in perpetuating war, the condemnation of modern warfare which honors efficiency over valor... and so on... but they are not explored in an interesting or particularly thought-provoking way.

I agree with some other reviewers that this story reads like a draft rather than a finished work. Perhaps if Melville had further developed this it would have evolved into something brilliant, but he died before that could happen. I find the notion of Starry Vere arguing strongly for a decision which he finds unconscionable compelling, and I like Claggart's sociopathic obsession with handsome Billy. These could have been fleshed out- perhaps at the expense of the over-long professions of Billy's ethereal beauty- but they were left awash in a sea of messy, weak plot.

I doubt I will bother reading most of the stories. Herman Melville remains one of my favorite authors because of the intense enjoyment I derived from Moby Dick, but my opinion of him has been tarnished after reading this.

Sailors' Favorite Framed, Takes Rap
*BILLY BUDD, a classic tale by America's Herman Melville, was written 40 years after his burst of creative energy.Melville still possessed the feeling for a good story, but he wrote it in a language so ornate and (to our modern eyes) stilted, that one can hardly absorb it.Nevertheless, BILLY BUDD deals with a timeless human issue---the nature of justice.Billy, a handsome young sailor, has been impressed into the British Navy where he incurs the jealousy or instinctive dislike of an officer.Billy has done nothing to warrant his wrath and is highly popular among everyone.This officer, rather more intellectual than most, proves tenaciously vindictive.He endeavors to trap Billy in a mutinous plot, but Billy rejects the idea.At last the officer goes to the captain and accuses Billy of mutiny directly.The captain too likes Billy and cannot believe the accuser.He calls Billy, who in tense circumstances is apt to stutter or be tongue-tied.When presented with the officer's accusations, Billy cannot speak.He strikes the officer.The conclusion is swift and sad.I should not reveal the ending, but the question of "what is justice ?" lies at the center of it.

*Other Tales---these are neither very enjoyable nor easy to read except for BARTLEBY THE SCRIVENER, an amusing story that might remind readers of one episode from "Sinbad the Sailor". Bartleby, a copyist or scrivener arrives at a lawyer's office and is hired.He seems to have no past, no present.We discover that he even lives at the office, never goes out.He gradually refuses to do all work, but will not leave the premises.How to get rid of him ?I could tell you the end, but in the immortal words of Bartleby himself, "I would prefer not to."This is a minor classic.

The difference between to be right and to be moral!
Billy Budd has never known a home beside the sea.Orphaned, and apparently un-cared for, even though he has a personal innocence, and beauty about him, he is at one with the sea.

In his innocence, he is unaware that his superior, Claggert, is also his nemesis, and one can only speculate why Claggert has such antipathy towards him.

Although there is nothing Captain Vere can do to save the poor boy, after Billy Budd unexpectedly lashes out at Claggert, we are waiting for something to happen to avoid the unfair morality of the story.While Vere has right in his decision to condemn Billy Budd, it is an immoral decision.Is what is right and what is moral it always the same thing?Not in this case, and perhaps that is Melville's point.Well meaning people can do what is right, can act in a manner that is correct, but isn't there a higher consideration.Why does there have to be a conflict with morality and correctness, with humanity and duty.

This short novel provides yet another addition to the literature in which to question right and wrong, good and evil.I think that this is an unanswerable question.

While the themes within this story and universal, and well presented, the language is nineteenth century.Parts of the narrative are difficult to get through, and many of the metaphors require a nineteenth century outlook.But the issues it raises are worth thinking about, and that certainly comes through, at least to me, ... Read more